Hybrid Hydrogen Supercar Revealed at SEMA 2008
November 8, 2008 by admin
The Ronn Motor Company, based in Texas, rolled out its hydrogen hybrid supercar Tuesday at the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association Show (SEMA) in Las Vegas. The Scorpion is a wildly sculpted exotic vehicle that can hit 200 miles per hour, while promising 40 miles per gallon on the highway.
The engine is a hydrogen-assisted Acura 3.5-liter V-6 engine with a close ratio six-speed transmission, that produces 289 horsepower in stock form, and can be upgraded to 450 horses with an optional twin turbo. Unlike most hydrogen systems in development, this one does not utilize fuel cells, and the Scorpion does not have electric motors. Instead, the car’s newly developed technology burns a blend of hydrogen and gasoline. Adding hydrogen to the internal combustion engine reportedly improves fuel efficiency by as much as 40 percent.
The on-board hydrogen system developed by Hydrorunner uses dual computer processors to produce hydrogen from water contained in a small tank. Essentially, it is a process similar to electrolysis, in which water is charged with electricity in order to release hydrogen molecules. Hydrogen is then injected into the powertrain as needed. This eliminates the need for high-pressure storage tanks, or for that matter, hydrogen-fueling stations.
Company COO Damon Kuhn says “Our system uses water from your garden hose to create hydrogen on demand. The infrastructure to support this technology is here right now, not 10 years from now.”
The price of the Scorpion will be in the range of $150,00 to $250,000. The company is taking pre-orders now, and production numbers for the Scorpion will be limited to approximately 200 per year.
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